Cacao quality index for cacao agroecosystems in Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

Brazil is increasingly committed to developing research on the quality of cacao. The objective of this work was to develop a new Cacao Quality Index (CQI) methodology with cacao industry, chocolate flavor, human health and food safety functions, and to show its results in different cacao agroecosystems from the humid region of Bahia. The typical Dystrophic Red-Yellow Argisol, in the cabruca cropping system with 35 shade trees per hectare, reached the highest CQI score. The lowest score obtained from the quality index cacao corresponded to the site characterized by the abrupt Dystrophic Red-Yellow Argisol, in the cabruca cropping system with 60 shade trees per hectare. All cropping sites obtained CQI values between 0.54 and 0.69 and were therefore classified as a regular index. The primary indicators that determined the differences between the highest and lowest CQI score were proteins, total free amino acids, simple carbohydrates (sucrose, fructose and glucose), total acidity, cadmium and barium.

Effect of Different Edaphic Crop Conditions on the Free Amino Acid Profile of PH-16 Dry Cacao Beans

“…Each crop site, covering approximately one hectare, was subdivided into three collection areas, characterized by the same soil type [1]. Cacao sampling was conducted in November 2008, because it was representative of the second harvest period (August 2008 to January 2009).…”

“…The amino acid profile of cacao beans is one of the most important biochemical characteristics related to the cacao quality [1][2][3][4], mainly because of its direct influence on the taste and aroma of the by-products of the processed beans, such as chocolate [3,[5][6][7]. The amino acid profile in cacao beans is influenced by local or regional crop conditions, in addition to the contribution of fermentation and drying processes [7].…”

“…In cacao beans, the diverse edaphic conditions result in variations in the mineral composition [19] and biochemical attributes [20]. Proteins, total free amino acids, simple carbohydrates (sucrose, fructose and glucose), total acidity, cadmium and barium are the most variable attributes of cacao quality, when edaphic conditions of cultivation are changed [1]. At the regional level, different clonal varieties of cacao, such as PH-16, have been selected, mainly because of their tolerance to the witches' broom plant (Moniliophthora perniciosa), which one of the major fungal diseases [21].…”

“…This clonal variety displayed good production responses in semi-mechanized systems with chemical weeding control, sprayed pesticides and pruning, as well as the use of windbreaks and drip irrigation [26]. Several attributes of cacao quality were analysed in samples from the PH-16 clone, including the total amount of free amino acids [1]. The decreasing order of the levels of free amino acids detected in PH-16 dry cacao beans [3] was: leucine, alanine, phenylalanine, arginine, tyrosine, valine, lysine, isoleucine, threonine, proline, aspartic acid, serine, histidine, glycine, glutamine, tryptophan, glutamic acid.…”

Quality Evaluation of Fair-Trade Cocoa Beans from Different Origins Using Portable Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS)

“…The presented prediction models might be the basis for an overall cocoa bean quality evaluation based on NIR spectra. However, despite the presented parameters being good indicators of cocoa bean quality, a grading classification of cocoa beans' was beyond the scope of the present work, as it would require the investigation of other indicators, also related to the sensorial profile of the beans, as reported in previous studies on cocoa quality indexes (CQI) [72,73].…”